Along with the development of the Internet and maturity of encryption technologies such as digital signature, electronic commerce has been expanding globally at a tremendous pace. Many successful companies have grown up using electronic commerce as the primary method of business operation. The new business methods developed in context of e-commerce have completely revolutionized the existing business mode.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a generic example of an existing online transaction system 100. The system 100 includes merchant 11, intermediary transaction platform 12, payment platform 13, and user 14. User 14 purchases a product of merchant 11, and makes an online payment using payment platform 13. Merchant 11 ships the product to user 14. Merchant 11 and payment platform 13 conduct account reconciliation and account remittance on a regular basis. Functions that are achieved by payment platform 13 may be integrated into intermediary transaction platform 12.
AliPay is an example of payment platform 13. User 14 may open an account with AliPay, and deposit a certain amount of fund into the account through direct deposit or recharging method. If user 14 purchases a product of merchant 11, a deduction from the account is processed through AliPay. This method only requires merchant 11 to complete account reconciliation and account remittance with AliPay on a regular basis.
Intermediary transaction platform 12 may have a server center 121 and a database 122. The server center 121 is used for processing transaction requests, while the database 122 is used for recording each transaction in real time.
As illustrated from the above online transaction, because merchant 11 and user 14 conduct trading through intermediary transaction platform 12, the security of the transaction is improved. From user 14's perspective, making a payment through intermediary transaction platform 12 removes concerns of the authenticity of the online virtual merchant 11 and the uncertainty about quality of a product to be purchased. From merchant 11's perspective, the sales volume is improved because intermediary transaction platform 12 establishes the confidence of buyers (user 14). This type of business mode achieves a win-win mode among merchant 11, user 14 and intermediary transaction platform 12, and has seen rapid development.
This type of business mode has deficiencies. First, the current business model does not satisfy the shopping needs of buyers who are not able to use the payment method provided by a payment platform, and also fails to satisfy users who feel insecure to commit a large amount of money to make an online purchase. Second, often a dispute arises because of inconsistency between what is actually purchased and what a user has seen in an image online when purchasing a product. Third, in online shopping, some merchants still sell products using direct home delivery and payment collection at the door through a logistics company. If a logistics company is entrusted to collect payments, merchant may face cash flow pressure if the logistics company is slow to return the payments. Fourth, if a logistics company is entrusted to collect payments, various transaction issues may arise because different merchants may entrust different logistics companies, and no uniform standard exists among logistics companies. This is especially true if payment by a logistics company is delayed.